U.S., Canadian women share a continent — and an intense dislike

A loss to bitter rival Canada in 2010 gold-medal hockey game in Vancouver has fueled Team USA in quest for redemption

February 07, 2014|By Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune reporter

Meghan Duggan #10 of Team USA chases the puck into the corner while being defended by Tessa Bonhomme #25 of Team Canada during the IIHF Womens World Championship Gold Medal Game at Scotiabank Place on April 9, 2013 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Richard Wolowicz/Freestyle Photo / Getty Images)

SOCHI, Russia — The pain still lingers in the collective psyche of the U.S. women's hockey team.

A loss to its bitter rival, Canada, in the 2010 gold-medal game in Vancouver has fueled Team USA in its quest for redemption in the Sochi Games.

"In Vancouver, coming up a little bit short … was devastating," U.S. captain Meghan Duggan said. "When you step away from that moment and you move forward, you use it as a training power. It burns in your heart every single day, and you remind yourself and your teammates and you encourage your teammates that you don't ever want to feel that again."

With the U.S. and Canada the world's reigning powerhouses, they again are on a collision course to play for gold during the eight-team tournament that begins Saturday.

Under a new seeding format, Canada and the U.S are ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in Group A followed by Finland and Switzerland. Those four teams automatically advance to the quarterfinals, with the top two receiving byes into the semis. The lower two teams in Group A will face the top two finishers in Group B, which features Sweden, Russia, Germany and Japan. The remainging teams will be dropped.

When the dust settles, the U.S. and Canada are expected to be standing to set up another showdown in the gold-medal contest Feb. 20. Since their last gold-medal game in 2010, won by Canada 2-0 — the rivalry has only grown. During pre-Olympic tune-up games, the teams brawled on two occasions.

"The rivalry between Canada is probably the most intense one in the world," U.S. forward Kelli Stack said. "We really don't like each other on the ice, so it gets pretty heated out there. We both are supercompetitive. (The U.S.) has won most of the world championships in the last few years, but we haven't won an Olympic gold medal since 1998. We're really focused this time around on getting that gold."

Despite four losses to the U.S. in seven pre-Olympic tuneups and a coaching change Dec. 17 that brought in former NHL coach Kevin Dineen to pick up the pieces, Canada remains the team to beat as the gold medalist in the last three Olympics.

"We cannot afford to be distracted by only concentrating on the American team — that would be dangerous," Canada defenseman Jocelyne Larocque said. "We must focus on every game. We don't underestimate any opponent.

"(The U.S.) has a 4-3 advantage over us in the buildup to the Olympics, but that doesn't count for anything. This is the Olympics. This is different."

Said U.S. defenseman Megan Bozek of facing Canada: "You have to expect blood, sweat and tears against them. It's always been a heavy rivalry."

The biggest challenger to the dominance of Canada and the U.S. comes from Finland, which features the top goaltender in the tournament in Noora Raty. Behind a brilliant 58-save performance from Raty, the Finns defeated the U.S. in the Four Nations Cup in November.

The teams will have a rematch in the tournament opener Saturday, just one of the more difficult challenges the U.S. will face in the preliminary round. A date with Canada looms Wednesday before the teams move on.

"If you want to be the best … in the world, then you better go through another great team," U.S. coach Katey Stone said. "You control your emotions, you stay in the moment and you play your game. We're trying to be the best team we can be. That is really the focus, regardless of who we play and where we play them. It's on us.

"The key for us is that we're not reliant on one part of our game. We're not expecting one person, two people, five people to carry our load. Every person has a role, and if they continue to own it and embrace it, we're going to be just fine."